1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to earphones and, more particularly, to an “in-the-ear” type of earphone with both a loose-fitting earbud and a canal-occluding earbud.
2. Description of Related Art
One type of earphone, which can incorporate one or two earpieces for monaural or stereo listening, is known as an “in-the-ear” type earphone, which employs an earpiece that fits into the cavum area of a user's ear.
Generally, in-the-ear type earphones can be divided into one of two categories: the loose-fitting category and the canal-occluding category. Loose-fitting earphones typically have larger diameter faceplates that contact the ear and are preferred for comfortable fit and open feel. Canal-occluding earphones (also known as isolation earphones or insert earphones) typically have a smaller form factor for fitting tightly in the ear canal and are preferred for higher sound quality and passive noise reduction. Users choose between these types of earphones depending on their individual needs and priorities.
However, the same person may have different needs at different times and in different situations. For example, one may prefer in an airport the loose-fitting mode to hear announcements but may prefer on the airplane the isolation mode. On other occasions, one might prefer the insert wearing style for its superior sound quality even in a quiet environment. In another example, one may prefer the loose-fitting mode when chewing or running as some people do not like their ears occluded during these activities but are not willing to give up listening to music or to miss handsfree phone calls.
A dual-mode earphone in which each side of a speaker is acoustically coupled to a different type of earbud is known. This type of earphone can work either in isolation mode with a canal-occluding earphone or in loose-fitting mode with a loose-fitting earphone. However, in prior dual-mode earphones, the audio quality has been compromised in one or both of the earbuds due to the lack of acoustic equalization capability.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a dual-mode earphone that is simple to use and yet provides uncompromised sound quality for both modes of the earphone.